Time to stop skating on thin ice

The fierce exchanges between the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee and its member the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association have turned really ugly and, unless resolved quickly, will bode ill for the local sports sector.

It is a challenge that Sports Secretary Kevin Yeung Yun-hung must overcome - and he could be blamed if the row is allowed to continue to escalate.

Yeung yesterday made his first direct comment on the quarrel between the two bodies since the ice hockey association last Thursday submitted an 11-page report to the SF&OC umbrella sports organization on the February incident in which the organizers of an international ice hockey tournament in Bosnia played a protest song rather than the national anthem at the event.

It is not too late for Yeung to adopt a higher profile to intervene in the row with a view to ending the fiasco quickly and in a just manner.

Being quick and just are the two crucial principles to adhere to in the process.

The SF&OC and the ice hockey association have accused each other of making incorrect allegations and giving out erroneous information.

Indeed, they have barely stopped short of using words as plain as accusing each other of telling "lies" while pointing their fingers at each other.

First of all, it is essential to establish all the facts.

What is beyond doubt is that a protest song instead of the national anthem was played at the tournament. And it is because of this that punishment is being meted out.

The question is: how serious should the punishment be? This would depend on the facts that can be established. In a court, the judge metes out a sentence according to the evidence presented.

As stated, the row has turned really ugly, so it is crucial to put an end to the entire fiasco and allow everyone - including other sports associations that have been monitoring the situation since February - to look forward to focus on the future rather than the past that has already become history.

A quick solution in a just manner will help create a stable environment for the sports sector to develop in the long term.

Otherwise, Yeung may find himself accused of not facilitating an atmosphere conducive to the healthy development of local sports.

It is crucial to avoid inflicting further damage in an already awful situation as no one can rule out the likelihood that any party feeling seriously unjustly treated in the case may look to the courts for justice by way of a judicial review.

Nonetheless, nothing can stop the SF&OC from suspending the membership of the ice hockey association as this power is vested with the body as long as it exercises this power properly.

But even in the event of membership suspension, would this resolve the matter?

Yeung is not only expected to improve the awful situation quickly but also do so in a way that will help win the appreciation of other sports associations.